All motorcycles in the 150-200cc category recorded negative MoM growths, whereas Yamaha MT15 recorded the highest YoY growth
Motorcycle sales dipped in the month of May due to the rise in infections of Covid-19 with the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic. The segment between 150-200cc retailed as many as 39,893 units of motorcycles last month which is far greater than May 2020 which witnessed the sales of only 23,678 units in the same category.
However, the figures for May 2021 are very less when compared to April 2021 which saw the sale of 1,01,470 units of motorcycles in the same space. This resulted in YoY growth of 68.48 percent and a negative MoM growth of 60.68 percent.
Apache, Pulsar Lead Segment
The segment was headed by the Apache brand of motorcycles from TVS Motor which registered sales of 19,885 units. In comparison, the Hosur-based bikemaker sold 4,046 units of Apache during the same month last year and 29,458 units in April this year. This translated to YoY growth of 391.47 percent and a decline in MoM sales by 32.50 percent.
Apache was succeeded by its closest nemesis Pulsar which managed a sales volume of 9,9963 units in May this year. Bajaj Auto sold 9,842 units of Pulsar in May last year and 26,781 units in April this year. This resulted in YoY growth of 1.23 percent and MoM degrowth of 62.80 percent.
Yamaha Also Faces Decline
Despite being the third best-selling brand of motorcycles in the segment, FZ witnessed a decline in MoM as well as YoY figures of 75.54 percent and 14.55 percent respectively. Yamaha sold 3,008 units of FZ motorcycles in May this year instead of 3,520 units in May 2020 and 12,298 units in April this year.
The 155cc siblings from Yamaha- R15 and MT-15 feature in the fourth and fifth place of the list with sales of 2,132 units and 1,344 units in May this year respectively. Both models earned a positive YoY growth of 137.95 percent and 439.76 percent respectively. Whereas they recorded a negative MoM growth of 64.60 percent and 76.39 percent respectively.
Others Register Paltry Sales
Honda broke into sixth place with Unicorn 160 after registering sales of 1,320 units last month and negative YoY and MoM growths of 60.94 percent and 92.05 percent. Hero sold 1,080 units of its adventure tourer Xpulse 200 in May this year which recorded a decline in MoM figures by 47.19 percent. Models like Bajaj Avenger (556 units), KTM 200 (375 units) and Hero Xtreme 160R (187 units) managed only three-figure sales volume.
Furthermore, bikes such as Suzuki Intruder (19 units), Gixxer (12 units), Honda Hornet 2.0 (9 units) and X Blade (3 units) couldn’t even breach the 100-mark sales. With restrictions expected to ease in the next few days, sales are likely to improve and OEMs could generate better figures.